Curtain-stretcher.



J. NpOVESON.

CURTAIN STRETCHER.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. a1, 1910.

1,003,121. v Patented Sept. 12,1911.

5&4 #7574 55 ip-15,5727 ,4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN N. OVESON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CURTAIN-STRETCI-IER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN N. OvEsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is a series of improvements in curtain stretchers, and the general object of the invention is to improve the folding form of stretcher so as to overcome the well known defects of these forms of stretchers in present use. One of the most serious defects in the folding type is the looseness or lack of rigidity or firmness in the frame when set up by reason of lack of firmness at the corner joints, sagging and inequality at the middle joints and general looseness throughout the different parts.

With the above-named general object in view my invention consists in the several improvements in construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described in detail, illust-rated in the drawing and incorporated lin the appended claims.

In the drawing-Figure 1 is a front elevation of an unfolded or set up stretcher embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a view of the part shown in Fig. 2 taken in a plane at right angles to the plane of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the middle portion of the stretcher broken away. Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragment of the stretcher shown in section, and a section substantially on line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the improved adjustable mounting pins.

Referring in detail to the several views, the stretcher comprises the usual vertical rails or bars 2 and 3 and the horizontal bars pivoted at their middle, the upper one consisting of parts 4 and 5 and the lower of parts 6 and 7, hinged or pivoted, respectively, at 8 and 9. These two-part horizontal sections fold together on their hinges or pivots when not in use and are laid upon the end bars 2 and 3 and middle bar 10 to form a compact bundle.

My invention is'designed to form a rigid joint at the upper corners of the frame as it appears in Fig. 1, and by forming rigid joints at those points the lower corners or joints are supported. Rigidity at the middle Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 31, 1910.

Patented Sept. 12, 1911. Serial No. 541,113.

is provided by an improved hinge for the horizontal rails consisting, respectively, of the sections 4, 5 and 6, 7. Improvements in the manner of supporting the set-up frame on its legs so that the struts or supports are not permitted to give way and drop the frame or stretcher to the floor is also provided as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, together with improvement in the mounting of the pins as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Referring, first, to the upper corner joints, these are usually held together by a bolt passing through the vertical and horizontal rails as in the case of the lower corners shown in Fig. 1. My improvement for said upper joint consists of a clamp which is adapted to draw the two-part horizontal rail against the square end of the vertical rail so tightly as to prevent the usual parallelogram movement or sagging. This clamp consists of a strap 11 secured to the front of each of the vetical rails 2 and 3. The upper end of this strap is bent outwardly at right angles a little below the upper edge of the upper horizontal rail 4*?) to form a iange or lug 12. A. similar strap 13 is secured to the opposite or rear side of the vertical rail and has a part 14, corresponding to the part 12, which extends over the upper edge ofthe rail and terminates in vertical alinement with the forward edge of the lug 12, as shown in Fig. 2. A bolt 15 having a butterfly nut 16 is passed through the two lugs 12 and 14 and serves to draw them together and thus clamp the part 4 or 5 tightly against the usual squared upper end of the vertical rail 2 or 3.

As shown in Fig. 1 the above described clamp is provided for both the upper corner joints formed, respectively, of the vertical rail 2 and horizontal rail section 4 and the vertical rail 3 and horizontal rail-section 5. The upper corner clamps thus effectively prevent angular movement of the framepieces in a vertical direction. The lower rail sections 6 and 7 are clamped against the faces of the vertical rails in the usual manner, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus support the frame against relative horizontal movement in a horizontal direction. Each of the lower horizontal rail sections is clamped to its respective vertical rail by means of a bolt 17 passing through a slot 18 in the vertical rail and a slot 19 in the horizontal rail-section. The head 20 of this bolt engages the rear face .of the end-rail, and a thumb-nut 21, threaded on thebolt, engages i the forward face of the lower horizontal rail, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The headend of the bolt is squared in the familiar manner, and the squared part of the bolt l 8 and 9 are constructed to hold the horizontal rail sections in strict alinement and also to support said sections against flexing or instabilityl in a horizontal direction, in the following manner: As isfbest shown in Fig. 4, the `rail sectionV 4 has secured to the rear side thereof a plate 25 which has a semi-circular portion 26 which is pressed out from the body of the plate on the arc-line 27 so as to leavea space between the pressed out portion and the rail-section 4 adapted to snugly receivebetween said pressed out portionfand said"rail-section 4 a projecting vquarter-segment portionv 28 on a plate 29 secured to the section 5 and substantially identical' with the plate 25. The projecting portion .28, extending beyond the end of the rail 5, asshown in Fig. 4, is substantially identicalVV with a similar projecting quarter segment 30 shown in full lines as projecting fromtheplate 25. The segment 30 is engaged by a punched out lug 31 formed on the plate 29, which lug has thesame function as the space .between the part 26 and the rail- Y section 4, namely, to engage the projecting y36 corresponding Vwith the plate 29.

portion of the companion plate. In the lower part of Fig. `4, where the upper plates are again shown, but in a reversed position, the projectingsegment 28 is represented by a similar segment 32 held between the railsection 7 and a plate 33 corresponding with the plate' 25 in the upper part. The projecting segment 30 in the upper part of the figure is shown at 34 in the lower part and the lug 31 is duplicated at 35' on the prllatle e only difference between the joint portions of the plates 25`and`29 on the one hand'and lthe plates-33 and 36 on the other hand, is that the projecting portions 30 and 34 are pressed out to make theml overlie the surfaces of the plates 29 and 36, while the projecting portions 28 and 32 are not pressed out, but lie in the same plane as the body of the plate in each instance and in the same i .plane as'the bodies of both plates 25-'29 and 33-36. The middlebar 10, lying back of the horizontal rails, is shown shod withV a plate of metal 37 ,bent twice at right angles to'cover the front and rearof the upper end 'ofsaidmiddle bar.` rlhe part of the plate 37 lying against the forwardsidehas a cir.;

cularv diskportionr38 which/provides asub-k stantial kbearing part for the rail lying against the part 30 of the rail plate 25. The joint portions 28, 30 and 38 may be pivoted together permanently on the pivot 8, and by removing the end bars 2 and 3 and lower horizontal 6-7 the parts 4 and 5 may be folded together with the middle rail 10 back of them.` The pivot 9, on the other hand, is

lnot'permanently attached to the rail 10, but

consists of a bolt 9, similar to the bolt 17 in Fig. 2, provided with a nut 40, like the nut 21 in Fig. 2 and a washer 41 having spurs 42 engaging a slot 43 in the same manner and for the same purpose as the washer 20 and its spurs 23 in Fig. 2. By removing the nut 4() at the rear the rail 10 may be disengaged. By removing the nuts 21 on the bolts 17 for the end rails and the lower hori` zontal rail the parts 6 and 7 of the latter rail may be folded together in the same manner as the parts 4 and 5.

The stretcher frame is supported in the customary vertically inclined position by means of the usual struts or legs at the rear of the end bars`2 and 3. These struts or legs are in my invention mounted in a novel bracket shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which consists of a flat piece of metal comprising a base plate 43l secured to the rear face of each of the e1id-pieces 2 and 3. The upper part of this plate is bent rearwardly at right angles to the body portion to form a stop 44 and then downwardly at right angles to form a stop 45, the former supporting the upper end of the strut or leg 46 and the latter confining said upper end in a plane at right angles to the plane of the stretcher frame. The lower part of the plate 43 has wings 46 and 47 which extend rearwardly and at right angles to the plate and confine the upper end of the strut in the plane of the frame. The strut or leg 46 is supported against longitudinal displacement relative to the bracket composed of said parts 43 to 47 by a pivot pin 48 passing horizontally through the leg and resting on top of the wing portions 46 and 47. These wings are provided with hook portions 49 and 50 which limit the outward movement of the pin 48 when the strut or leg is swung outwardly to support the frame, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.V The upper end of the leg is beveled at 51, and this beveled portion lies flat against the plate43 when the leg is extended or set to support the stretcher frame. In this form of support for the leg vrthe upper end thereof has a firm ledge in the part 44 against which it abuts and in folding the leg against the end piece 2 or 3 it is forced closely against said end piece or rail by the part 52, or edge of stop 45, acting as a fulcrum, Athe pin 48 slidingrtoward the end rail. lnv other words, the parts 44 and 48 serve'Las stops vagainst longitudinal movement of the leg While the parts 45, 46 and 47 prevent lateral displacement of the leg relative to the bracket and the parts 48, 49 and 50 permit the necessary angular movement. rIhe arrangement prevents the usual looseness of joint at the juncture of leg and end rail and at the same time provides the firmest possible support With the advantage of automatic closing together of the leg and end rail When the stretcher is folded up.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show a novel form of adjustable pin and a very secure method of mountin it in the respective horizontal and vertica rails. The Fig. 5 section is taken at the middle joint in Fig. 4 and shows not only the method in Which the Fig. 7 pin is mounted but also a cross section of the joint itself. The form in cross section of the end and horizontal rails is also shown in Fig. 5, and this form is rectangular With a cuteout portion to form a shoulder 53 and a reduced tapered portion 54. At the corner of the shoulder-forma tion tvvo saw-cuts, or kerfs 55 and 56 are formed at right angles to each other in, respectively, the body of the rail and its reduced portion 54. The pin 57 in Fig. 7 is formed of a piece of Wire bent to form a shank 58 bent substantially at right angles to the pin point to lie against the beveled surface 54 and to form a part 59 to engage the kerf |56 and a part 6() to engage the kerf 56. These kerfs run through to the end of the rail and this permits insertion of the kerf portions of the pin from said rail-ends. -It Will be seen from a glance at Fig. 5 that this simple and inexpensive method of mounting the pins holds them very securely for sliding movement only along the rail and obviates undercut grooves and the like commonly used in connection With pins more or less insecurely mounted in such grooves, as is Well known in the art.

For the legs 46 I have provided a novel brace or spacer to hold the leg extended in its dottedline position in Fig. 2. This spacer consists of a sheet of metal one end of Which has a portion formed into a pair of parallel side pieces or ears 61 and 62 which are pivoted to the leg 46, and this spacer supports the body 63 of the spacer in a horizontal position When it is let down from its position shown in said Fig. 2, by the inner end of the spacer proper, labeled 64, resting against the inner surface 0f the leg. The ears 6l and 62 are fastened by a pivot 65.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination With a folding curtain stretcher having an outer frame com posed of vertical rails and sectional horizontal rails hinged or pivoted together, of contractible eyes formed partly by the upper ends of the vertical rails for clamping said ends against the upper horizontal rail, joint disks for said horizontal rails, and means engaging the edge of each said disks for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination With a folding curtain stretcher, of legs having beveled ends, brackets having slidable pivot supports for said ends, a ledge portion on each of said brackets against Which said beveled ends are supported, stops on said brackets Which engage the beveled ends and force said legs, When folded toward the vertical rails, against said rails, and spacers to hold said legs extended, said spacers provided With means that prevent their dropping below their horizontal spacing osition.

In testimony Whereo I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of tvvo subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN N. OVESON. Witnesses:

M. C. ALLEN, J. F. ANDERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

